THE SHOW and THE PERFORMERS
The Phuket Punchline Comedy Club returns with their biggest show yet, the
live stage show of the original British TV hit, ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’
starring four of the shows stars: Andy Smart, Stephen Frost, Steve Steen and
Ian Coppinger.
The Punchline Comedy Club has already staged this show in Hong Kong to
sell out crowds and John Moorhead, the Punchline Comedy Club creator,
expects the same reaction when he puts on the show here on Phuket in
February 2012.
‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ remained a massive hit in the UK for over a decade
and now enjoys the same success in the USA after Channel 4 sold the show
to NBC. For strangers to ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’, four performers pit their
wits against the audience by playing out scenarios in a style and setting of
their choice. The whole show is totally improvised from the Shakespearean
scenes to the Broadway musicals; the only difference is the audience decides
what the performers say and sing about! ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ will be a
total sell out so please book early!
Stephen Frost (born 28 December 1955), also known
as Steve Frost, is an English comedian. Frost is
known for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as
part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on Saturday
Live. Veterans of the alternative comedy scene, he and
Arden appeared in The Young Ones, and later had their
own TV series Lazarus and Dingwall on BBC2. The
duo appeared in a series of British TV advertisements
ending with the catchphrase "I bet he drinks Carling
Black Label". One spoofed the "launderette" commercial for Levi in which Nick
Kamen stripped to his underwear; in their pastiche, Arden and Frost played
launderette customers who were stripped entirely, with just strategically
placed books maintaining their modesty. See it here
Without Arden, Frost has appeared on Radio 4's Just a Minute, and the
improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He has appeared on three
episodes of Have I Got News for You (there was a 13-year gap between his
second and third appearance) and on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He also
appeared as Dirk in Tony Bagley's series Married.
He played two small Blackadder roles. The first in "The Witch-Smeller
The second in an episode of Blackadder Goes Forth: Corporal Punishment as
the overly-cheerful head of a firing squad sent by a court martial to shoot the
in the British comedy series Mr. Bean, starring Rowan Atkinson, in the episode
entitled "Mr. Bean Rides Again" in one of the skits where Mr. Bean is riding a
Frost is resident compere at the East Dulwich Comedy Club and a regular on
the London comedy circuit. He is also a veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe and
Glastonbury Festival.
In 2003 he appeared in Guy Masterson's sell-out production of 12 Angry Men
alongside Bill Bailey.
Frost still appears regularly with Comedy Store Players in The Comedy Store,
London.
Frost will appear alongside Tony Hawks and Angus Deayton in the feature film
Playing the Moldovans at Tennis which was recorded in 2010 for release in
2011.
STEPHEN FROST
WHAT THE PRESS SAY:
“They are all pure geniuses!”- The South China Morning Post
“Pure talent, better than the TV show!” - The Times
“It’s fast, fun and performed so well, I wanted to see it again!” - The Scotsman
“This is the best show I’ve seen in years, don’t miss it!” - The Sunday Mail
“Fun for all ages, not too old you might have a seizure!!!!!!!” - Time Out
ANDY SMART
ANDY SMART was born in a Southsea nursing
home on 16th of June 1959. The building is now a
Casino. His childhood was spent overseeing the
Pontoon and Poker Card School, at Farnborough
Grammar, and running bets for his Grandmother
(who had been a seven card stud dealer before
she went blind). As a cover for these operations he
posed as a Sea Scout, and later a Venture Scout.
At the age of 18 he ran away to Liverpool to study Geography and Drama at
Notre Dame College of Higher Education. The three years were spent in the
betting shop on Mount Pleasant, and running the college bar and disco. Having
failed to get a degree Andy passed into his existentialist period, which involved
lying in bed reading Beckett, Kerouac and Dostoyevsky, drinking cider through
a straw with architects and learning to juggle tea cups. Just as his poetry was
becoming popular in the Casablanca basement bar on Hope Street, he got
unlucky and found a job working as a writer/actor with the "489 Theatre in
Education Company". Over the next year and a half he wrote and performed in
"Alice and the Wasp", "Billy's Car Crash" and "Not a Penny More" (about the
1926 General Strike).
But the road was calling, he wanted to be Jack Kerouac, (the early years, not
the later fascist whingeing years). Having read "Fiesta" by Hemmingway he
packed a small bag and set off for Pamplona. Having hitched there in time for
the festival he celebrated by drinking three litres of Sangria. Bad move. He
awoke in an alleyway with no money, camera, or passport. Borrowing three
oranges from a passing American tourist he began juggling in the main square
earning £80 in three hours. His career in Show business had begun. Andy
returns every year to Pamplona to run with the bulls during the festival of San
Fermin. He has completed 49 runs and this year will attempt his 50th.
On retuning to England Andy went to Covent Garden to perform on the
hallowed cobbles. Juggling pigs kidneys to stunned crowds. He then
performed an interpretive dance show with John Woodall. In December 1983
he met Angelo Abela and together they formed the Vicious Boys. 1984 saw the
Boys win the ‘Time Out Street Entertainer of the Year Award’. They then
appeared on "The Tube" where dressed as a bell boy and, pretending to be a
Great Dane, Andy got to lick Paula Yates' face, happy days. They then
appeared twice on Saturday Starship with Bonnie Langford and Tommy Boyd.
Next came the Six O Clock show with Michael Aspel. Then it was off to
Edinburgh and a run at the Masonic Lodge in a double bill with Kafka's "The
Trial".
On returning to London they were given their own show on LWT called Wake
Up London. In 1985 Janet Street Porter asked the Vicious Boys to provide the
comedy on "Get Fresh" a two hour live outside broadcast every Saturday
morning. Following their success the Boys were then strangely asked to
present the American Football on Channel 4. They got to go to San Diego for
Superbowl XXII where Andy placed his whole fee on Denver. The Redskins
won with 27 unanswered 2nd quarter points rendering the second half a wash
out. The next three years were spent touring, including many trips to New York
and two runs in Australia. In 1989 Andy co-wrote and performed in "Twiglet
Anyone". The Viscious Boys split up in 1990 due to sophistic differences.
Andy Smart began a new career as a stand-up comic, thanks to Jan Prince
and Maria Macerlane. In 1993 he performed "Look Back at Danger" at the
Edinburgh Festival and on tour. In 1998 he performed a paean to marijuana
called "The Dope". In 1998 he was lucky enough to go to the World Cup with
the Iranian Football Team. October Films produced a comedy documentary
called "The Outsiders" in which Andy and Nick Hancock travelled, trained, and
celebrated with the team as they lost to Yugoslavia, beat the Great Satan 2:1
Andy has been performing as a guest with the Comedy Store Players for 13
years now and a permanent member since 1995. As a member of the "Steve
Frost Impro All Stars" Andy has performed in: Edinburgh (Festival), Hong
Kong, Beijing, Shang-Hai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Manilla, Taiwan, Singapore, a tour
of Ireland, New York, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Antibes, Paris, Wellington,
Adelaide, Perth WA, and Prague. Andy has also performed at 28 consecutive
Edinburgh Festivals including the all comedian version of "The Twelve Angry
Men" which went on to tour in Australia and New Zealand. He has also
performed in Edinburgh with "Paul Merton's Impro Chums". This year he will
be organising the First Annual Poker Tournament for comics at the Gilded
Balloon. His favourite gig of the year is Glastonbury on a Sunday morning of
the Festival.
To relax, Andy Smart kicks people on a football pitch, goes greyhound racing,
plays Nintendo Golf, smokes the weed, dreams of the International Bar in
Dublin, plays poker with the boys, or watches the mighty Farnborough Town.
STEVE STEEN
STEVE STEEN began his career at the Oval House
Theatre Club in 1972 with his lifelong friend and
working partner Jim Sweeney, basically doing shows
that sent up all the other shows they had seen that
year, a cheap stunt that paid dividends later. He began
in earnest the following year forming his own theatre
company with Mr Sweeney, they were called the Wee Wees, don't ask, no do..
it'll kill a minute or two. He performed as one of the Baron's minions in a show
Ratzenberger, who he? He’s Cliff the postman in 'Cheers'! This transferred to
the Roundhouse for a successful London run.
He continued his work at the Oval House theatre, squeezing in a couple of
He then toured all over the country, pausing to play the Edinburgh Festival,
Arts Theatre London, Soho Poly, Jeanette Cochrane Theatre, before taking the
ferry to tour Europe, including several Festivals of Fools around Holland,
Denmark, Germany and Greece. Steve then returned to perform at the Royal
Court in Nigel Williams 'Just A Little Bit Less Than Normal', in 1976, and 'City
Sugar' by Steven Poliakoff in 1977. After kicking around Europe, he kicked
around England again in the ITV Playhouse production 'It's Only A Game',
directed by Les Blair, based on the book by Irish International footballer Eamon
Dunphy.
It was inevitable that following these performances a spell in prison would
the TV series. Upon his release he promised to mend his ways and went to
Berlin to perform in the celebration of a 100 years of German culture where he
was banned and almost booted out of the country. He returned to co-present
the acclaimed children’s show CBTV for Thames TV from 1981-1984.
Channel four started up and their first home grown comedy series was 'Little
Armadillos' starring Steve and his mate Jim (see above), directed by Bob
BBC 2 and three years of mimicry followed coupled with three successive and
successful stage shows.
Throw into that melting pot 'The Kenny Everett Show', ‘Carrott Confidential’,
‘Saturday Night Live', 'Russell Harty's Christmas Party', 'Wogan', 'Blackadder
the Third', 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie', 'Red Dwarf', 'The Staggering Stories of
Ferdinand de Bargos', 'Spitting Image', 'Clive Anderson Talks Back', 'Have I
Got News For You', 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', 'The Bill', 'The Lenny Henry
Show', 'The Rory Bremner Show', 'The Good Sex Guide', 'Crapston Villas', 'Jo
Brand Through the Cakehole', 'The Paul Merton Show', etc, etc, blah blah
blah… You name it he's done it, tons of radio just to show he's got the face for
it, including 'Danny's Wake' for which he also won a Fringe First (at
Edinburgh) and 'All the Young Dudes' for which he didn't.
His first one man show for the stage was the hugely successful 'The Lost
Continent' adapted for the stage by Paul Hodson and based on the book by Bill
Bryson. He also toured 'The Blues Brother' also written by Paul Hodson and
based on the turbulent life of John Belushi. He co-starred in Paul Merton's
acclaimed 'Notes from a Small Island', again adapted by Paul Hodson and
based on the book by Bill Bryson. This show also enjoyed the success of a
sell out trip to Edinburgh, Aug 2001, as did the 'Lost Continent', as well as
three sell out tours of the UK. A return trip to Edinburgh in Aug 2002 with Jim
Sweeney's 'Sick Transit', made him feel like he'd never been away.
impro with people who are old enough to know better, but who also happen to
be the reason that he would have figgy pudding for Christmas. Then Channel 4
and the 'Bremner, Bird and Fortune' show spoilt the holiday by dragging him
away from the telly to put him on it.
Fortune who make him laugh lots - and for all you five year olds out there
Steve is also the voice of 'El Nombre' on ‘Numbertime’ for BBC 2 and has
been for many years. Blink and you'll miss him in ITV's 'Hardware'.
and the UK Ian has also appeared as a support act for Ardal O Hanlon on his
UK tour and Pat Shortt on his Irish tour, including 7 sell out weeks in Dublin’s
Vicar Street. Ian has also appeared on The Panel Live tour 2008 and in 2007
had 250,000 copies of his cd distributed in the Irish Press.
A noted improviser Ian is a co-founder of The Dublin Comedy Improv (1992),
where he still performs every Monday night in Dublin’s International Bar, which
is Ireland’s second longest running comedy club. The Dublin Comedy Improv
have recorded two hit radio shows for RTE. Ian is also a regular guest with the
world famous Comedy Store Players performing alongside Paul Merton,
Richard Vranch, Josie Lawrence and many members of Whose Line Is It
Anyway?. Ian has also toured Australia, New Zealand, the Middle and Far East
in ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ with the original British cast members. The only
improviser to have been invited to perform at every Cat Laughs Comedy
Festival in Kilkenny since 1995 where Ian has improvised alongside some of
the great improvisers in the world.
IAN COPPINGER
Ian was here back in October 2011 performing his
stand-up routine, now he returns as part of the Whose
Line? Impro team.
One of Ireland’s busiest comedians Ian is a regular on
the world comedy circuit having played to packed
houses at the Edinburgh, Melbourne, Montreal Just For
Laughs, Galway, Electric Picnic, Glastonbury,
Glasgow, Dublin, Adelaide and Wellington comedy
festivals. A regular on all the major stages in Ireland
TICKET OUTLETS
CHALONG
Woody's Sandwich Shoppe
Fisherman's Way
CHERNGTALAY
Gitano & Love Restaurant
(opp. Cherngtalay Tesco Lotus)
KO KEAW
Phuket Gazette
off Thepkrasattri Road
(left after Isuzu showroom)
Ticket Line: 076-350118
KO KEAW
RPM Health Club
Royal Phuket Marina
PAKLOK
Gitano & Love Restaurant
(1km east of Heroines Monument)
PATONG (NORTH)
Woody's Sandwich Shoppe
Aroomson Plaza
off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road
(opp. Patong Language School)
PATONG (SOUTH)
Shakers Restaurant
Rat-U-Thit Road
(south just after Mercure Hotel)
Next show: Wednesday 29th February 2012
Phuket Punchline Comedy Club
Jungle Football Golf Fun for all the family just over Patong Hill in Kathu www.thailandfootballgolf.com
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